Marathon: Durandal Announced for Xbox Live

Marathon: Durandal is headed to Xbox Live Arcade later this year.

At their press conference last night, Microsoft announced that Bungie's Marathon: Durandal was being brought to Xbox Live Arcade by Freeverse sometime this year. The good folks at Freeverse have put up an information page on Marathon: Durandal for your perusal. Included in Freeverse's Marathon: Durandal will include “King of the Hill,” “Kill the Man with the Ball,” and “Tag” Live modes and an all new “Survival Mode.”

Just a Reminder: E3 Begins Tonight!

In case you've just crawled out of a hole after sleeping for the last year, E3 begins tonight and Microsoft's Press Conference gets underway at 11:30 p.m. ET / 8:30 p.m. PT. The goodly folks over at Xbox.com will be streaming the conference live for you to view over the Internetz. Additionally, it's probably worth your while to keep checking the Bungie.net Interwebz destination in case stuff and/or things occur that require your presence.

A Blast from the Video Past

While these may be "omg so old" to some folks browsing the Interwebz on this fine Bungie day, a couple videos inside here are probably new to the rest of you.

Have you seen Frankie talk about being a backdoor bandit? Or an old school video that shows what Bungie was like back in 1994? No? Then you probably owe it to yourself to check out these videos. If you find more obscure Bungie-related videos on the Internet link 'em and discuss 'em on our forums.

Bungie Day Extravaganza

"Bungie Day" is nearly upon us and to celebrate we have a few cool things in the works for our loyal fans. One of them is time sensitive so we wanted to give you a heads-up so you don't miss out. Intrigued? Read on for the scoop!

July 7th has come to be known as "Bungie Day" amongst our fan community and this year is extra special on account of it actually falling in a year ending with 7. If you're new to our fan community, do some digging to find out the rich history of Bungie and the number 7 and you'll see why 7/7/07 has special meaning within our family.

Lukems and the Bungie.net team have some cool things lined up for the site tomorrow but we also managed to pull a few strings to make some extra special content available on Xbox 360 Marketplace. I won't spoil the fun and tell you exactly what it is (don't get too excited, it's not Halo 3 - think something of a more decorative nature) but I did want to give you a heads-up that these commemorative goodies are ONLY available on 7/7/07 and then they are gone forever.

Log on to Marketplace any time starting at approximately 2:00 AM PDT on July 7th and get it while you can. Once the clock strikes midnight on Saturday, this content is gone forever. Don't say we didn't warn you.

Spread the word throughout the Bungie community and join us on Marketplace and Bungie.net tomorrow for good times. And we wouldn't have a "Bungie Day" without our loyal fans who have stuck by us for so long. Thanks for all of your support and here's to 2007 - the best year yet in the history of Bungie Studios and our fan community!

RvB Episode 100 is out!

The long awaited 100th and final episode of Rooster Teeth's wonderful Halo machinima series, Red vs Blue (RvB): The Blood Gulch Chronicles, is finally available for the viewing pleasure of everyone (sponsor or otherwise).

(Don't worry, I haven't put any spoilers in this. I wouldn't do that to you guys)

HBO's Zune Contest Winners Announced!

Halo.Bungie.Org's Zune giveaway has found four winners. Now their entries are up for your perusal.

HBO's Louis Wu admits that the Zune Contest was "not without its headaches," the contest was definitely a success. And now, at its conclusion four talented users have won themselves one of those fancy Halo 3 Zune music players. The contest was divided into four different groups: Best Original Song; Parody; Montage; and Machinima.

Additionally, Wu and the HBO judges created a special award for a video that was overlooked by the voting public and awarded it a special Judges prize -- the winner received a Halo 3 Legendary Edition prototype helmet. For all of the winners and their respective files click over to HBO's Contest Results page.

Zune Giveaway Voting - Final Phase!

The Halo 3 Zune Giveaway kicked off in May, and 8 days ago, public voting began. Three out of four categories have already been decided - you've got until Monday morning at 5 am PDT to pick your favorite entry in the final class - Halo machinima. On Monday afternoon, the four winners (one in each category of Original Song, Montage, Parody song, and Machinima) will be announced - each will win a limited edition Halo 3 Zune, courtesy of Bungie! Make sure your voice is heard - download all seven finalists, and cast your vote for the one that moves you the most!

McFarlane and Bungie Team Up for Halo 3 Figures

Excellent maker-of-fun McFarlane Toys, will be creating a line of figures based on Halo 3.

McFarlane Toys and Bungie have formed a superfriends-quality team up to make a line of toys based on characters, events and general mayhem being caused by Halo 3. The figure lineup, due out in Spring 2008 is described by the folks over at McFarlane thusly:

"The proposed action figure lineup is as follows:

MASTER CHIEF -- The protagonist of the Halo series stands at 5 inches tall, and has more than 18 points of articulation. Equipped with his trademark assault rifle, Master Chief's mission is to protect Earth against the Covenant, an alien empire threatening the world in the 26th century. Biological and cybernetic enhancements and rigorous military training have resulted in Master Chief's unquestioned status as the finest soldier mankind has ever produced.

BRUTE CHIEFTAIN -- The highest rank in the Brute hierarchy is the Chieftain, whose articulated figure is the tallest of the series at 6 inches. Belonging to the Covenant, the Brute Chieftain carries the gravity hammer, a close-range weapon with the ability to alter gravity at a local level and crush his enemies and surroundings.

CORTANA -- Developed by the United Nations Space Command (UNSC), Cortana is a smart A.I. with the ability to project herself as a holographic image and be transferred between computer systems, including the cybernetic armor of Master Chief. This figure's base features an LED light that illuminates her 4.5 inch-tall figure.

JACKAL SNIPER -- To the benefit of the Covenant, Jackal Snipers have incredibly sharp reflexes and deadly aim. Standing at 5 inches, the Jackal Sniper is equipped with its signature beam rifle, which has the ability for long range shooting and a high degree of damage.

GRUNT 2-Pack -- At 3.5 inches tall, the Grunt is a menace to the human race, and represents the vast majority of the Covenant infantry. The Grunts are the lowest tier of the Covenant hierarchy, and move in packs. They are expected to unquestioningly obey the commands of their Brute commanders. Outfitted with weapons including the Plasma Pistol and Needler, the Grunts may not seem much more than cannon fodder, but in groups, they can be deadly.

There will also be a three-vehicle line-up that includes:

WARTHOG -- As the most widely recognized vehicle of the UNSC, the Warthog is a ground vehicle capable of carrying up to three soldiers. Known as the best all-around vehicle for its power, adaptability and toughness, the Warthog measures 3 inches in length and is built of die-cast metal and plastic.

GHOST -- The Ghost is a single-seat vehicle used by the Covenant. Mounted with twin plasma cannons, the Ghost is a rapid-attack vehicle designed for speed and maneuverability. The Ghost is 3 inches long and made with die-cast metal and plastic.

BRUTE CHOPPER -- The Brute Chopper makes its debut in Halo 3. A single-wheeled vehicle, the Brute Chopper will prove invaluable to the Covenant's campaign against humanity. With a length of 3 inches, the Brute Chopper will be made of die-cast metal and plastic."

Halo Montage Video Voting

The next phase of voting for the halo.bungie.org Halo 3 Zune giveaway contest is now underway. Head over there now to vote for best Halo montage video!

This is phase 2 of the voting to determine who will win a limited edition Halo 3 Zune! Four devices are being given away based on best original song (voting concluded yesterday), best montage video (starts today), best song parody and best machinima video (both voting next week). Head over to HBO and cast your vote!